Page 97 of The Last Dragon
“You heard him,” Ilian says with a smirk, his tone dripping with playfulness.
“Bothof you,” I hiss.
Ilian looks at me, confused. “What the—I didn’t do anything!” His hands flare as he points at Alex.
Alex crosses his arms. “You started it.”
“And you’re adding fuel to the fire.” My patience is wearing thin. Ever since Alex joined the unit, the two of them have been at each other’s throats—trading jabs, exchanging glares like they’re one second away from drawing blood. And every time, it falls on me to separate them. To keep the unit—a unit.It’s Morton and Valous all over again. Only worse.
Eventually, the conversation drifts to our daily jobs, reflecting on the briefings and the plan for the Front.
Ilian and Eryca continue their debate, still throwing occasional jabs at Alex. Raumen circles us, mumbling to each of them and dropping something brown into Nida’s palm. His voice overlaps with Ilian’s—just a quick question—but I can’t catch what he says. Nida inspects the piece, then pops it into her mouth. I raise an eyebrow as she lets out a soft moan. Her face lights up, and Raumen can’t help but grin. He takes another piece from his hand and drops it in Sam’s hand. He analyzes it for a bit, with questions written on his face, before he slowly puts it in his mouth.
What in the soil—?
I return to the conversation, trying to recollect where we are.
“There aren’t enough soldiers on the planet to keep track of all the villagers at this point,” Ilian says with worry, as he extends his arm to Raumen, who drops something into his hand.
“We have to convince General Grogol to reconsider. There’s no way everyone is going to stay silent about this. First-years will rile things up just like last time,” she says, dropping her head low. “Even I worry about Ma and Pa in Garta.”
“Zel,” Ilian says, his voice slightly shaky. “Do you think he would reconsider?”
I shrug, momentarily lost in thought. This is one of those moments where I have no idea which way he’ll go—it could swing either way.
“If he’s already made up his mind, changing it won’t be easy. On the other hand—” I trail off, losing myself in thought as Raumen approaches, eyes locking with mine. He extends the brown substance toward me, but I shake my head and lift a hand in quiet refusal. Without a word, he moves on to the next person.
“But couldn’t there be a better way to phrase our concerns to him?” Nida asks. “Maybe if we find a clearer way to informthe villagers about their defenses, they could take precautions themselves to stay safe,” she suggests, glancing at me. “That way, we work together instead of separately, and still move forward with the expansion plan.”
“You make a good point,” Ilian says, rubbing his chin.
“That only works if the villagers take it the way we expect,” Alex interrupts. “The safest move is to keep them in the dark—that way, we control their reaction. Besides, if they find out, they might stop producing the materials weneedfor the expansion.”
“But there could be higher casualties if they don’t know what’s going on,” Eryca says. “Halting the production altogether.”
“I have to side with Alex on this,” I say, crossing my arms. “If we control their reaction, that’s one less problem for us. We can focus on how to defeat the dragon instead of dealing with riots and uproars while pushing forward with the expansion.”
“But if one village gets attacked without proper defense or reinforcements, the uproar won’t just be larger—it’ll come at the worst possible time,” Sam’s voice cuts through, barely more than a whisper. He makes a good point. Damn it, this is harder than I thought.
I glance at Raumen as he raises his hand, the piece of brown substance poised between his fingers. I roll my eyes but nod, finally giving in. A gentle grin spreads across his face as he reaches out and places it in my hand. I study it for a moment. It’s soft and almost creamy, and sticks to my fingers the longer I hold it.
“This conversation isn’t going to help anyone,” I say, rolling the piece between my fingers. “We should focus on our duties instead, and trust that whatever the general decides” —I toss the piece into my mouth— “will help both sides.” Tender sweetness spreads across my tongue—soft and honey-like, yet bitter and roasted, like coffee from the Middle.
“But…” I trail off, letting out a soft moan as the rich flavor fills my mouth. I quietly smack my lips, darting my eyes between the floor and Raumen’s smiling face.Chocolate. My thoughts drift away, and the rest of the unit begins to chatter over my point.
“Zel, can you find out more about his plan? We can come with you,” Nida adds, as the rest nod in agreement. The taste of chocolate fades from my mouth, and I snap back to reality. Raumen eyes me, his smile widening as he gives a thumbs-up. Where the hell did he get this? Chocolate is only available in the Center—sometimes Velerum.
“I don’t know if I’m willing to go to his quarters,” Ilian says. “That man smells fear. I doubt having me around is going to help the cause.” He lets out a nervous chuckle, his eyes darting around us.
“Weak,” Alex mocks.
Ilian’s fist is already in motion before Eryca catches him by the collar. Alex’s mouth twists into a sneer.
“Stick to your side of the area,” Eryca hisses. Alex shifts his feet annoyed.
Raumen’s hand shoots up with another piece held between two fingers, his eyebrows raised and a slight grin coloring his face. I roll my eyes at him, catching the unspoken offer ‘Do you want another?’
My mind lingers on the tender taste in my mouth. I nod slightly, and Raumen tosses another piece over Ilian to me. When I catch it, I notice the shape is different—not square, but a round ball with a red pebble in the center. I toss it into my mouth, and a delicate dance of cherry and chocolate flavors unfolds on my tongue.Divines.I swallow quickly, trying not to get consumed by it. Damn it, Raumen.
